2.3 Pedagogical Theories & Practice – Roseanna Gaffney ePortfolio

October 29, 2019

Pre-Placement Visit

I’ve got a primary four class this year which is good because I had five last year so isn’t too bad, but I can definitely see the difference that almost a year and a half can make in development and maturity.

The first struggle is the fact it’s a class of 33, last year I had 32 and its just a lot when there is one of me. I’m struggling to see how effective a teacher I can be for that many pupils and how do you possibly get to know every pupil and build up a relationship in four weeks.

Maths in Eastern isn’t set like some schools they use the chilli challenge instead to allow pupils to choose what level suits them. This is good. But it can sometimes result in pupils choosing activities that are too easy or choosing the same as their friends. This is something that I will need to do extra reading on to make sure I’m properly prepared.

There aren’t any specific ASN but there are a lot of pupils in the process of being referred for a range of different things.

Each pupil has a diary that they take home to show parents with any specific comments. this is good because it allows us to feedback to parents at the end of each day/week.

Overall the behaviour in the class wasn’t very good. The CT struggled to get the pupils attention using various attention grabbers (clapping, counting etc) so I think ill need to work on ways to get their attention quickly and easily. The pupils were also very chatty during lessons and teaching, the CT. gave out verbal warnings and pupils the. Had to move their names down the behaviour ladder if they continued with this behaviour. I think. My biggest thing for the pupils will be behaviour management and making sure they are listening and engaged at all times. A lot of the pupils had a tendency to get up and wander out of their seats which was very annoying so this is also something that will need to be worked on.

I need to take everything I’ve seen today with a pinch of salt as it was just one day and the pupils have two teachers so I might see something completely different when I go back.

September 23, 2019

Metacognition

Definition – Awareness and understanding of one’s own thought process.

Metacognition is the idea of thinking about thinking. The idea that you know you think something, why you think it and the ability to change it. The concept of metacognition also relates closely to the ‘THINKERS’ part of the IB learner profile.

Metacognition describes the processes involved when learners plan, monitor, evaluate, and make changes to their own learning behaviours.

Metacognitive knowledge – Children understanding their own cognitive abilities. For example, ‘I struggle to remember people’s names. It’s also understanding that something is difficult, for example, ‘I understand that I am dealing with very complex issues. Also, the ability to understand how to remember information like breaking a phone number down into smaller parts to allow us to memorise it.

Metacognitive regulation – This relates to learners. understanding that a strategy they are using to solve a problem is not working and trying something new.

There is also a lot of information about the ages which children develop metacognitive skills. Some studies show children as young as 18 months showing metacognitive skills. It’s also important to note that just because pupils can’t describe what metacognition is doesn’t mean they don’t have the ability to use it.

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We can use the metacognition phases to help us understand the whole process.

Planning – learners think about the goal that the teacher has set out. They then think about what strategies they will use to achieve the goal set out. During this section its good for learners to ask themselves questions such as:

‘What am I being asked to do?’
‘Which strategies will I use?’
‘Are there any strategies that I have used before that might be useful?’

Monitoring – learners choose one strategy and monitor the progress to see if they are getting closer to the original goal. During this section learners may choose to make changes to their strategies. Questions also help during this section, for example asking themselves things like:

‘Is the strategy that I am using working?’
‘Do I need to try something different?’

Evaluation – phase, learners decide how successful the strategy they choose was in helping them achieve their goal. They may ask themselves questions such as:

‘How well did I do?’
‘What didn’t go well?’ ‘What could I do differently next time?’
‘What went well?’ ‘What other types of problem can I use this strategy for?’

Reflection – is a fundamental part of the plan-monitor-evaluate process. Encouraging learners to self-question throughout the process will support this reflection.

It’s important as teachers to understand how well the pupils understand their own metacognition. David Perkins (1992) defined four levels of metacognitive learners. This is very useful for teachers to try and gauge where their pupils are at.

Tacit learners– learners who are un aware of their own metacognition. When given a goal or problem they don’t think about any particular plan or strategy, they just accept if they know something or if they don’t.
Aware learners– learners who understand that they can generate ideas and finding evidence but there isn’t necessarily any planning involved with their thought process.
Strategic learners –learners who organise their thinking by using problem-solving, grouping and classifying, evidence-seeking and decision-making etc. They know and apply the strategies that help them learn.
Reflective learners– learners who are not only strategic about their thinking, but they also reflect upon their learning while it is happening, considering the success or not of any strategies they are using and then revising them as appropriate.

Once we as teachers have identifies where our learners are at on this scale, we can work to support them better. We can also work to develop their metacognitive skills.

I think metacognition is an interesting concept and the more research I do the more I can relate it to, not just my learning in primary school but my learning now. It allows me to evaluate why I use certain strategies and think in certain ways.

https://cambridge-community.org.uk/professional-development/gswmeta/index.html

https://thirdspacelearning.com/blog/7-steps-eef-metacognition-primary-classroom-maths/

https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/272307-metacognition.pdf

February 1, 2019

Pre Placement Visit

I had my pre placement visit of Tuesday and I feel like it went very well. I’m with a primary 5 class that is shared between two CT’S. My first impressions of the school were that it was really nice and almost new. I met the head teacher who was very friendly and gave me a tour of the school when I went in. Although the class is shared between two teachers I got the chance to meet both teachers and they were lovely.

The classroom was laid out nicely although I did feel a little cramped because there are 31 pupils. I could see lots of displays on the walls which gave a me a good idea about what they were working on. I could also see that they have a card system of the wall for behaviour and the CT changed it as the behaviour changed between green for good behaviour, blue next, yellow for a warning and finally red. The class doesn’t do golden time but they have other rewards systems in place. The pupils gets points for good behaviour and the number of pointed they have relate to a prize. Once the whole class gets a certain amount of points they get a movie and popcorn treat. What shocked me most about the class and how it was laid out is that there wasn’t any doors, none of the classrooms have doors. It’s all just spaces in the wall the size of about 4 doors. I think this will mean that when I’m teaching I need to make sure I’m heard without shouting but also not too loud that it affects other classes.

I went swimming with the class which I found useful because it allowed me to see them outside the classroom but they were still exceptionally well behaved. The pupils also had the music specialist in and they learned the ukulele and I could tell they all really enjoyed that. The CT done a lot of interactive lessons with them which I liked because it kept the pupils engaged.

The CT got me to take a reading group and a maths group which is a good sign I think because she obviously thought I was somewhat competent, she didn’t just get me to sit in the corner and stay quiet. While she was teaching and the pupils were doing activities I was helping out whenever I could, answering questions and encouraging the pupils. I think its important to just get stuck in otherwise I’ll just end up being a burden on the CT.

I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be and during break and lunch I went Ito the staffroom with the CT and everyone was so welcoming and friendly. They all made me feel so at ease and I can really see myself fitting in well. The CT said to me that their wasn’t any drama between teachers or in the school which is a relief but I don’t know ho true that actually is.

Overall I’m really happy with the class. the school and both CT’s. I’m excited to get back to the class and start teaching them although I’m a little nervous but I don’t think that a ad thing.